Aussie Finch Forum

Hey there,

I've bought one pair of doubles, stars and painteds, they are each in their own breeding box temporarily but I was wanting to have them in an outdoor aviary and was wondering how big it should be to house these three pairs?
any tips regarding breeding of these guys would be appreciated.

Cheers

I generally work on 1sqm per pair, so a 1.5x.1.5m aviary should be your starting point. Obviously bigger is always going to be better.

These species should all cohabitate comfortably and there shouldn't be any aggression, even when breeding. In my experience, they prefer wicker baskets for nests; however I have seen Double Bars use a nest box before. I suggest making both available.

Painted finch young often fledge before they are able to fly. A substrate the keeps them off the cold concrete floor and maybe a bit of ground shelter might be needed in the colder months.

Some say Double Bars require live food for good breeding results, but I've had good results with just dry seed and daily greens. (Kale, bok choy and commercial egg food - through the food processor.)

I don't know about other breeders; but I've found that if Star Finches don't immediately bond with the partner you have selected for them, they will never breed until you re-pair them.

The bigger the better.

1.5 m x 2.4 m would be an okay size and give you room to have a few young in there.

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers
Ian

I house 3 pair in my aviaries which are 2.4m x 1.8m. I wouldn't go any smaller.

Thanks for the help everyone. Hopefully come spring they'll be settled and start breeding.

I have also found that Double Bars do better in mini flocks of 3 or more than they do in pairs. And they like to nest in the cardboard and plastic cable reels. Pick weeds and put the whole plant in so they can pick through the rootball, this allows them to find small insects and seems to work well with both Double Bars and Painteds.
LML